The Army Corps of Engineers is looking at a flood control option along the Passaic River that would build 24 miles of levees and 17 miles of flood walls in order to reduce flooding in those towns that border the River. Cost, $3 billion.

Flooding along the Passaic River is a real ongoing problem. This is really not a solution.

The article title is great..it states “$3B plan offered to corral Passaic River.” It is amazing to me that we still think that we can “corral” a river. Oh, the example of the Bound Brook levee is cited as a great success. Indeed, the facility did not flood in the last set of storms…and there is a new $30 million luxury apartment going up in Bound Brook…..oh wait, is that the point of the program?

The logic is that we should spend $3 billion so that we can encourage more development in the flood plain? Talk about inane logic.

The problem started by building in the flood plain….by paving the wetlands and by trying to “corral” the river. So our solution? Do more to encourage more development in the flood plain.

This is one of the great problems with “Home Rule.” Towns look at their development as a means of tax income without regard to the long term. I wonder how many properties in harms way we could buy out for $3 billion?

This would be a better solution…do whatever we can to first re-establish a proper flood plain, then, with the land that we truly cannot reclaim, work on a smaller, more environmentally sound solution to prevent flooding.

Read the full article:
$3B plan offered to corral Passaic River